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In this episode John and Gregg discuss Chapter Eight of Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman. Idleman believes that Jesus decides what is most important and what He wants in a relationship with us.
Gregg agrees that what God wants is important, however he does not believe we are completely subsumed in relationship with God–what we want in this relationship is EQUALLY important as what God wants! For Gregg anything else is a complete contradiction–how can God truly loves us if we are unimportant in this love relationship?
John questions the role sovereignty and Gregg runs with it, attributing Idleman’s view to misunderstanding how the Bible shows God to be both sovereign and father (parent). In other words, part of “what God wants” as father is that we authentically desire God–of our own accord.
John and Gregg closely examine Luke 9:23 (“take up your cross and follow me”) but also compare it with parallel instances and uses in the Gospels (Matthew 10:38, 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 14:27). Instead of emphasizing sacrifice and hard work (as Idleman does), Gregg argues that trust is the key element to “following Jesus.” And trust within a relationship is based on what we have personally experienced with God.